Modern Art Jewelry designed and hand made in the U.S.A. by Contemporary American artists.
Free shipping to all points in the U.S.A.
Bow Studs
Regular price $35.00Petite hand-fabricated bright sterling silver bows.
.25" x .25"
Ships within 3 days.
STATEMENT
The foundation of my jewelry design is based on the idea of organic themes mixing with machine inspired motifs, the interplay between these two extremes, and the beautiful and interesting mathematical patterns that occur in nature. Using sterling silver, gold and gemstones, typical combinations include: stars, fur, flower petals, pine needles and bird's wings, alongside machine parts and perfect geometric shapes. Kinetic movement plays an important role in the designs, concentric circles spinning inside hexagons or a stairway of silver folding like a puzzle. Techniques used to create the jewelry include metal forging, intricate soldering, bezel fabrication, gem setting and wire wrapping. The themes are complex and original, but the jewelry itself is very simple and stylish.
BIOGRAPHY
Jennifer grew up in a small town in New Hampshire and studied studio arts at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. While there, she experimented with various media, from photography and film to steel welding and mixed media sculpture. There was a freedom working with precious metals that Jennifer could not find in other media. The malleability, textures, and unlimited possibilities of raw metal continue to excite her creative impulses. Along with the flexibility and natural beauty of metals, the idea of metal as industrial material was an intriguing concept that inspired much of her early pieces, and continues to today.
In 2011, Jennifer's first book, Hot Connections Jewelry (Random House) was published. Hot Connections Jewelry is a complete sourcebook of jewelry making techniques using a torch.Jennifer lives and works in South Boston's Fort Point Channel neighborhood. There, she enjoys a very supportive community of artists and friends.
Pinwheel Studs
Regular price $35.00Bright sterling silver petite pinwheels, handmade by the artist.
.25" x .25"
Ships within 3 days.
STATEMENT
The foundation of my jewelry design is based on the idea of organic themes mixing with machine inspired motifs, the interplay between these two extremes, and the beautiful and interesting mathematical patterns that occur in nature. Using sterling silver, gold and gemstones, typical combinations include: stars, fur, flower petals, pine needles and bird's wings, alongside machine parts and perfect geometric shapes. Kinetic movement plays an important role in the designs, concentric circles spinning inside hexagons or a stairway of silver folding like a puzzle. Techniques used to create the jewelry include metal forging, intricate soldering, bezel fabrication, gem setting and wire wrapping. The themes are complex and original, but the jewelry itself is very simple and stylish.
BIOGRAPHY
Jennifer grew up in a small town in New Hampshire and studied studio arts at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. While there, she experimented with various media, from photography and film to steel welding and mixed media sculpture. There was a freedom working with precious metals that Jennifer could not find in other media. The malleability, textures, and unlimited possibilities of raw metal continue to excite her creative impulses. Along with the flexibility and natural beauty of metals, the idea of metal as industrial material was an intriguing concept that inspired much of her early pieces, and continues to today.
In 2011, Jennifer's first book, Hot Connections Jewelry (Random House) was published. Hot Connections Jewelry is a complete sourcebook of jewelry making techniques using a torch.Jennifer lives and works in South Boston's Fort Point Channel neighborhood. There, she enjoys a very supportive community of artists and friends.
Circle Studs
Regular price $50.00The artist hand-fabricated bright sterling silver tubes to create these petite round symmetrical studs.
7/16" diameter
Ships within 4 days.
STATEMENT
The foundation of my jewelry design is based on the idea of organic themes mixing with machine inspired motifs, the interplay between these two extremes, and the beautiful and interesting mathematical patterns that occur in nature. Using sterling silver, gold and gemstones, typical combinations include: stars, fur, flower petals, pine needles and bird's wings, alongside machine parts and perfect geometric shapes. Kinetic movement plays an important role in the designs, concentric circles spinning inside hexagons or a stairway of silver folding like a puzzle. Techniques used to create the jewelry include metal forging, intricate soldering, bezel fabrication, gem setting and wire wrapping. The themes are complex and original, but the jewelry itself is very simple and stylish.
BIOGRAPHY
Jennifer grew up in a small town in New Hampshire and studied studio arts at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. While there, she experimented with various media, from photography and film to steel welding and mixed media sculpture. There was a freedom working with precious metals that Jennifer could not find in other media. The malleability, textures, and unlimited possibilities of raw metal continue to excite her creative impulses. Along with the flexibility and natural beauty of metals, the idea of metal as industrial material was an intriguing concept that inspired much of her early pieces, and continues to today.
In 2011, Jennifer's first book, Hot Connections Jewelry (Random House) was published. Hot Connections Jewelry is a complete sourcebook of jewelry making techniques using a torch.Jennifer lives and works in South Boston's Fort Point Channel neighborhood. There, she enjoys a very supportive community of artists and friends.
Decorative Pearl Drop Silhouette
Regular price $66.00These two-dimensional earrings, hand-cut by the artist from brass sheet, reference large pearl drops. Powder coated gloss color, in Cream. Sterling silver posts.
.75" x .5"
Ships within 3 days.
STATEMENT
My current body of work is a series of hand-cut, powder coated jewelry that focuses on image, pattern and decoration in order to reference ornamentation and historical jewelry. I am interested in a reality that exists through images and representations and how the appearance of an object can substitute for the original. The use of repeated iconic imagery is important to my work in order to establish a familiar identity between the viewer and the object.
BIOGRAPHY
Ashley Buchanan (b. 1986, Atlanta, Georgia), received her BFA in Jewelry and Metalsmithing from the University of Georgia. Drawing on common jewelry motifs and iconic imagery, she individually hand-cuts silhouettes from sheet metal using a traditional jeweler’s saw. She then applies color using an industrial process called powder coating. This method of painting electrostatically covers metal with a dry pigment, which is then cured under heat to create a durable, uniform finish. Finally, she assembles these components together in order to create new simplified pieces of jewelry that maintain a clean contemporary aesthetic.
Little Moons
Regular price $75.00Small oxidized hand fabricated sterling moon posts. Limited edition.
5/16" diameter
Ships within 3 days.
STATEMENT
There is something so satisfying about moving metal. Through fabrication and forging, I am able to manipulate my materials to create form and space, capturing movement in a solid form.
I love the engineering challenges of putting each piece together. Piercing, bending, forging, pounding to create such intimate sculptures. I am drawn to the inherent obsessiveness of creating these minute compositions, all the while seeking a balance of precision and chaos in each design.
BIOGRAPHY
Melle Finelli studied technical Jewelry making at North Bennett Street School, followed by an eye opening year of sculpture at School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Melle currently lives and works in Boston.
Orbit Small Post Earrings
Regular price $85.00This design begins with three nesting discs. These post earrings are handmade in sterling silver that is first oxidized, then satin brushed. The smallest disc is inlay with turquoise soy based resin. Sterling silver posts.
.5” diameter
Ships within 3 days.
STATEMENT
I create modern jewelry that merges my graphic design and furniture making backgrounds, with my interest in mid-20th century design.
BIOGRAPHY
Matthew Smith began his creative career as a freelance graphic designer. Through his years in this field, he developed what he terms a “visually concise” design language. He also maintained a long running hobby as a woodworker and furniture maker. When a move to a new city required a dramatic downsizing of his studio, Smith began to focus on jewelry as a compact way to merge his diverse interests. He found inspiration from the jewelry designers of the mid-20th century who’s work emphasized strong design and alternative materials, over precious metals and gems.
Smith’s pieces begin as a graphic design which is worked and re-worked to develop the most concise expression of the concept. Design elements such as line weight, color, and pattern are translated into silver thickness, resin tint, and wood grain. Recently Smith has begun working with a new non-toxic casting resin made from soybeans and peanuts, which he tints with non-toxic painter’s pigments.
Matthew Smith received his BA in Fine Art from Wake Forest University. While there he focused on printmaking and sculpture. His education in silversmithing began by taking classes at the Cultural Arts Center in Columbus, Ohio as well as a jewelry class at the Penland School of Crafts. He has combined traditional silversmithing techniques with his woodworking skills to create a hybrid method of jewelry making.
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Matthew's work can also be found at the following museum stores and non-profit shops:
Asher Gallery, Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, Houston, Texas
Craft Alliance Gallery, St. Louis, Missouri
Little Roboflower Stud Earrings
Regular price $85.00These brushed sterling silver roboflower-motif stud earrings are hand crafted by the artist.
1" diameter
Ships within 3 days.
STATEMENT
Using traditional silversmithing techniques and materials paired with alternative materials, I explore the potential of a well-made hollow form and non-traditional possibilities for color in a conventionally achromatic media.
Using traditional silversmithing techniques and materials paired with alternative materials, I explore the potential of a well-made hollow form and non-traditional possibilities for color in a conventionally achromatic media.
I draw inspiration from the patterns, shapes and color of vintage fabrics; and the clean lines and minimalist aesthetics that characterized the international style of mid-century modern furniture. True to my materials, I choose them and their treatment first based on functionality and then second based on beauty. By hand forming, fabricating and incorporating alternative repurposed materials, a standard shape or form becomes dynamic and vibrant. My finished idea is visually simple yet technically complex.
BIOGRAPHY
Carrie Hoffnagle grew up on a farm in rural Iowa, where she helped her father build fences, and her mother construct her own clothes. She can catalog her entire childhood with handmade projects. These experiences instilled in her the strong value of "build it yourself."
Carrie studied fine art at Iowa State University and fell in love with metal. Her focus began early when she discovered that she could have almost absolute control over it. She learned to manipulate metal with traditional construction and hollow forming techniques, while she developed an admiration for mid-century modern and Scandinavian design.
Just weeks before graduation in 2006, she found a garbage bag full of discarded architectural laminates: her first inspiration for creating wearable jewelry. Following graduation she embarked on a journey to learn more. She carried those materials with her and found more along the way. While working for goldsmiths and silversmiths, she developed her own style through exploring the possibilities of repurposed materials.
Acacia Studs
Regular price $90.00These handmade stud earrings contrast 24k gold leaf with oxidized sterling.
5/16" x 1/8"
Ships within 3 days.
STATEMENT
I believe that balance is a key component in the persistence and thriving capacity of nature. The balance of many different kinds of forces dictates much of what we experience in the world. It is the concept and design principle of balance that informs and inspires my designs. An ever growing appreciation for the elegant perfection of the natural world coupled with a modern simplicity makes my jewelry what it is: the perfect accessory for a special occasion or every day.
BIOGRAPHY
Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Emily never felt at peace in the bustling city in which she grew up, but in the trails of the mountains and on the shores of the beaches. It only made sense that the nature she enjoyed to spend her time in, would become the main source of inspiration for her metal work.
It was 2010, in a nature oasis at the top of a mountain, where she learned to handle metal. She learned to use tools she had never even seen before to manipulate a material that felt so permanent. She learned the skills to transform raw materials into delicate, shining tokens of beauty. It was this transformation of material that transformed something in her. It is the inherent balance of solidity and effortlessness that drives her love of metal and fuels the creation of jewelry that honors the simple, yet perfect forms of the natural world.
After receiving a BFA from the Cleveland Institute of Art for jewelry and metals, Emily continued her studio practice pulling from the inspiration of her thesis, which focused on how the seasons create so much of the balance in nature and directly affect how we exist in the world.
Square Cage Post Earrings
Regular price $95.00Handcrafted sterling silver cages hold small chunks of semi-precious stones. Sterling silver cube posts.
.4” wide x 1.2” tall x .3” thick
Ship within 5 days.
STATEMENT
Interest in structure, geometry and modular designs has originated in my background and study of architecture. Jewelry-making provided me with instant gratification and sense of creative freedom and control that the architectural process was lacking.
In recent years raising a child had a profound effect on my creative process. My work became more playful and intuitive, and less serious, symmetrical and controlled. I allow unexpected elements of chance to play part in the process. After many years of creating monochromatic work, I also started using color. I feel more like a painter now than an engineer, creating impressionistic compositions, with fields of color broken up into small elements. I use translucent semi-precious gems to create the most luminous effect. Each gemstone bead is like a drop of paint becoming part of the color field.
I always shied away from traditional stone setting techniques, and use of beads allowed me to employ a unique way of capturing gems within metal frames. I use very thin silver wires threaded through the holes and balled up on both sides using high heat. Frames or outlines are fabricated out of sterling silver, some are partially cast. All the work is produced in my Brooklyn studio with the help of one assistant.
Ashka Dymel was born in Warsaw, Poland, and lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. After studies in liberal arts and foreign languages in Poland and Czechoslovakia, she moved to the United States where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Design from Parsons School of Design in New York City. After several years of working in the field of architecture, Ashka began to design small objects and jewelry and founded her own design studio in 1990. From 1988 through 1995 she was an Adjunct Professor, teaching Design and Design History at Parsons School of Design. From 2006 through 2008 Ashka was a Visiting Professor at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn.
Small Stardust Studs
Regular price $380.00These 14k gold hand crafted stud earrings are convex with a brushed matte finish.
.375"
Ships within 3 days.
STATEMENT
In addition to making sculpture, I realized shrinking the scale to jewelry size would allow me to make art that is accessible to everyone.
In addition to making sculpture, I realized shrinking the scale to jewelry size would allow me to make art that is accessible to everyone.
Strong and delicate, ancient and modern, my designs are contemporary with a classic look. Conceptually, they derive from my fascination with biological cells viewed through a microscope and celestial bodies viewed through a telescope. Movement is also a key component as I strive to create comfortable, everyday jewelry that complements and expresses the exceptional qualities of the individual. Each piece of my jewelry tells its own story: every blow of the hammer, every bent curve of metal, every stone collected from far-away lands becomes part of a one-of-a-kind, wearable work of art.
BIOGRAPHY
Rebecca is a mixed media sculpture and jewelry artist whose work can be found in public and private collections around the world. She studied under Sadashi Inuzuka at the University of Michigan, earning dual degrees in Metalsmithing and Cultural Anthropology.
She was a studio artist and faculty member at The Crucible, the renowned arts center in Oakland, California. Her large-scale steel, bronze, and clay sculptures appeared throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, including at the Oakland Museum, Oakland International Airport, and San Francisco’s ArtWorkSF gallery.
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In 2007, Rebecca returned home to Chicago to be resident metal artist at Lillstreet Art Center, where she created a jewelry collection inspired by her continuing sculpture practice. She now participates in the top crafts shows throughout the country. Rebecca has taught at the Chicago Children’s Museum and River East Art Center and currently is on faculty at Lillstreet Art Center and the Hyde Park Art Center.
